Orfeh, Jerry Mitchell, Paul Canaan, Courtney Reed and More to Take Part in WHARTON AT HOME Event

On Friday, May 29, at 6:30 pm Paul Canaan (Legally Blonde, Miss Saigon, Kinky Boots...) is hosting an exclusive Wharton Center YouTube Event called whARTon at home. Joining Canaan are several Broadway artists, Tony Award® winning director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell, current Wharton Center Take It From The Top students, and more.

The evening is a celebration of the 2020-2021 Wharton Center season with creative conversations and performances mixing both Broadway and pop. Broadway star Courtney Reed, who originated the role of Princess Jasmine in Disney's Aladdin, joins Canaan as co-host. Canaan and Reed will talk with several leading women from Broadway, including Gaelen Gilliland, who stars in the national tour of Mean Girls (coming to Wharton Center in December 2020), and Orfeh, who performed in Pretty Woman on Broadway (coming to Wharton Center in February 2021). Joining the celebration is Caroline Bowman and husband Austin Colby, who both star in the national tour of Frozen (coming to Wharton Center in July 2021).

whARTon at home will also feature an interview with Tony Award® winning Broadway director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell. Mitchell grew up in Michigan and is the director/choreographer of several Broadway shows, including Pretty Woman (coming to Wharton Center in February 2021).

Adding to the excitement is a special a cappella performance of Cyndy Lauper's "True Colors," by the original Angels from the Tony Award® winning Best Musical Kinky Boots.

"It's going to be an evening of Broadway like we haven't seen in a while," says Wharton Center Executive Director, Mike Brand. "Paul Canaan has brought some of the hottest Broadway stars to Wharton Center for the past decade to teach in our Take It From The Top summer workshops, but this will be extra special."

Canaan says, "Wharton Center is like my second home. I love visiting each summer. While I may not be able to be there in person, I am excited to connect with the Wharton audience and students to bring this exciting virtual Broadway evening to Michigan."

whARTon at home is taking place Friday, May 29, at 6:30 p.m. and is accessible on both Wharton Center's YouTube account and the Wharton Center website. (whartoncenter.com).